ONE of Barrow’s newest restaurants, which opened to rave reviews back in December 2018, is continuing in its efforts to delight Barrovian’s tastebuds.

I have been to many Turkish restaurants over the years so when I went to Izgara restaurant on Cavendish Street , Barrow I was pretty much expecting very similar things.

And it is true in many respects this restaurant shows all the signs of a very traditional establishment, with folk music playing in the background, dimmed lighting and the inviting smell of food being cooked lovingly over a charcoal grill.

However, what I was not expecting was the clear quality of all the food and the diverse range of things on offer.

When glancing through their menu I was surprised to see dishes such as yogurtlu adana, which is a layer of crunchy bread covered with yoghurt, adana kebab, topped with flavoured tomato sauce.

Now based on my knowledge of Turkish cuisine many restaurants choose not to include such dishes as they are often considered incompatible with English tastes.

However, feeling adventurous I decided to chose from their special kebabs sections a dish called Sarma Beyti Chicken, which is grilled chicken kofta, wrapped in a thin, homemade bread covered with creamy yoghurt and homemade tomato sauce.

When it arrived it appeared like a deconstructed wrap, being cut into smaller pieces around the plate surrounding a generous helping of creamy yoghurt.

It was lovely, it truly was. The sauce poured over the pieces was almost like a tomato and mascarpone sauce giving a nice contrast to the slight charring of the chicken. It also had a lovely creamy texture and perfect balance that never overpowered the taste of the meat.

My guest for her main chose the adana kebab and it too did not disappoint. Very familiar with many restaurant goers, but this one was particularly well seasoned with a nice thick texture. Sometimes with these the minced lamb breaks apart, but this one was whole and moist.

For starters my guest and I shared two dishes which may be known to some. We decided on the sigara boregi, which is filo pastry filled with feta cheese and parsley and sucuk and mozzarella, which was spicy beef sausage covered with mozzarella.

If you have not already tried the sigara boregi you definitely should. The pastry was light and crispy, a perfect contrast to the slight melt of the feta cheese inside - a perfect thing to share.

For our other starter we had the sucuk and mozzarella, which I must say I was swayed to after having a brief discussion with the chef.

Now traditionally, sucuk I believe is often served on its own, simply being sliced and grilled, but the chef at Izgara restaurant also includes mozzarella over the top.

Now being a massive fan of sucuk I would probably prefer it to be served on its own. Its distinct taste is so delicious in itself it seems a shame to put anything else over the top of it, but saying that I still really enjoyed the dish.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food and having been to many Turkish restaurants and having previously worked in one this truly is one of the nicest I have ever had. The waitress was charming as well and all the staff were very inviting.

The price of the food is worth what you get as you do get a lot and the quality of the meat is clear to see. This is a restaurant I will definitely be returning to.

If you would like to go they are based at: 3 Cavendish Street, Barrow and you can make a reservation by calling them on 01229 821613.

In a nut shell:

Food: 5

Service: 5

Atmosphere 4

Value: 4

Pros:

Some of the best Turkish food around

Generous portions

diverse menu

Cons:

Parking nearby is not always easy